Bushfires and heat a sign of climate change: Milne

The Greens leader Christine Milne says this summer's bushfires and record temperatures are providing a glimpse of what Australia's climate might look like in the future.

Australia has experienced one of its hottest starts to the year on record, and large bushfires are still burning in New South Wales and Tasmania.

The Tasmanian Senator says climate change is making extreme weather events more common and they should be a wake up call for the major parties.

"I am hoping that the heatwaves, the fires around Australia will be a wake up call for local government, state government, and the Coalition and Labor to abandon their support for expanded coal exports [and] their support for coal seam gas," she said.

"We are on track for dangerous climate change. We are on track for a climate emergency.

"And you only have to look at what's happening with the fires around the country and the extreme heatwaves around the country to see what impact climate change is already having."